


dumbasses find love

by TheSubtextMachine



Series: Tyrus 5+1 [1]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: """"no homo"""", 5+1 Things, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSubtextMachine/pseuds/TheSubtextMachine
Summary: 5 times other people think TJ and Cyrus are dating + one time they figure out that they are in fact, dating.Requested by my friend :). <3 u maddie, thanks for supporting me in these wacky, wacky times.





	dumbasses find love

“5 Times that TJ doesn’t realize everyone actually thinks that he’s dating Cyrus, plus 1 time that he gets it together”

-

TJ Kippen is a simple man with simple responses: if Cyrus complains of tired feet, what else is there to do but carry him bridal style across the hallway, grinning wildly as Cyrus laughs and slings his arms around TJ’s neck, blushing some fierce fuchsia color?

TJ certainly doesn’t expect people to cheer him on in his trek towards what he hoped what Cyrus’ classroom, or take videos as they did so. 

He sets Cyrus down as lightly as he can, swatting down his brusque nature (and urge to just drop him, like he does with everyone else) like flies on a kitchen counter. He doesn’t necessarily understand why he tries so hard to be so soft for Cyrus, but he decides that it must not matter as he ruffles his hair and resists the totally weird urge to give him a peck on the cheek.

He bids him a dramatic “adieu”, tries not to smile too widely, and makes his way to his own class.

There’s a moment where he thinks someone says “Couple goals!” to him, but he figures that he’s probably making a mistake. 

It’s only later, when he’s scrolling through his instagram, that he sees a video of him carrying Cyrus on one of his friend’s finstas. The caption is, of course, “#couplegoals”. It is at this moment where TJ realizes that people must be joking about him and Cyrus acting like a couple, or something.

He feels an initial flare of offense on Cyrus’ part, as he wonders for a second if it’s a homophobic comment on Cyrus being gay. In the end, however, TJ decides to let this passing gag do just that: pass. 

(Granted, TJ doesn’t read the comments on this post, that make it quite clear that the general public thinks that the two are dating for real, a prospect that they all happen to be quite excited about. Questions like “yo they’re so cute, when did they get together” are answered by other innocent agents, with suspicions like “I think after the whole thing with Cyrus and the baking club??? That’s when I first heard about it”. The only people who know the truth are people who happen to love meddling, like Andi and Buffy, who very conveniently decide to stay silent on the matter.)

-

By and large, TJ forgets about the whole #couplegoals incident, only remembering it in choice moments, like when he brushes Cyrus’ hair back behind his ears, or when they share an inside joke in public, and Andi and Buffy share that very specific _look_ , like they know something that TJ doesn’t. 

TJ hates that look, but he doesn’t stop the inside jokes, or the hair-fiddling, or the hugs that last a second too long.

All in all, he only hears about it from other people in odd little quips, like “what does your boyfriend think?”, or the like. It’s kind of a mean joke, he supposes, but he just swears not to let it get to Cyrus, because if there’s anything he knows about kids his age, is that the more you try to quash a joke, the more powerful it becomes. 

So he gets a bit paranoid, waiting for another crack at his best friend, until for a second, he thinks that even _Gus_ is in on it.

He gets approached by the ever-nervous kid after a basketball game, when he’s a bit too sweaty for talking with acquaintances, but Gus is straight-up _dogged_ in his determination to share _this_ information with TJ, so TJ stops and listens.

“I’m trying to start a Jefferson GSA, do you and Cyrus want to join? If we have you two, we’ll only need one more member to start the club, and we already have a faculty sponsor.”

“GSA?” TJ asks, trying to place the acronym, which sounds familiar. Sports thing? Nah, Cyrus isn’t a big enough fan of sports to join a full club, so it probably wouldn’t be that. Would it?

“A Gay-Straight Alliance.”

TJ experiences a full collage of emotions, from exasperation that the joke was still in circulation, offense on Cyrus’ behalf, wonder that even the most clueless guy had heard about it, and then consideration. Maybe, this wasn’t about the joke. After all, if it was a Gay Straight Alliance, Cyrus and TJ were exactly that! 

“I’ll ask him about it. I’m in, though! I’d love to show support. Where will it be?” he asks, going out on a limb.

“Room 264, next Tuesday,” he answers, his voice a bit shaky with what seems to be relief. So it was genuine.

That afternoon, at The Spoon, TJ tells Cyrus about the offer over their shared plate of baby taters, and the answer is a casual yes before the topic turns to other, more exciting things, like the best Power Ranger.

The actual first meeting of the GSA is a blast, since everyone just brings snacks and chats about topics that TJ totally understands, like their favorite teachers and the cartoon characters that they related most to when they were kids. Cyrus gets to dramatically feed him a goldfish (which makes them both blush for some weird reason), and TJ finds out that Gus can actually be very eloquent when talking about things like LGBTQ+ Rights. The club gets officially started, and TJ has another excuse to spend lunchtime with Cyrus. 

No harm, no foul.

-

The Basketball Banquet comes around, and TJ’s mind is constantly split between calculating the likelihood the possibilities of winning MVP (with the calculator he doesn’t totally know how to use) and helping Cyrus deal with the stress of directing a short film for a contest.

TJ knows basically nothing about the physical act of filming, but he knows a lot about comforting a stressed out Cyrus. All it takes is a shoulder to cry on, brownies in a mug, and some cute niche movie that Cyrus had mentioned a while ago. 

TJ keeps a Notes tab for a rainy day, of which there are many when it comes to Cyrus.

The Basketball Banquet, however, is TJ’s turn to need a friend, because this is his _time_. This is the moment he gets the awards, the recognition, the polite claps and the free food and the pats on the back. 

He’s stressed enough that when Zayne comes up to him after practice, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his sweaty hand, TJ feels like a balloon about to burst.

“Hey, Cap?” 

“Yeah?”

“I was helping my mom and the PTA stuff with the invitation lists, and apparently we forgot to tell you about your plus one.”

TJ’s eyebrows furrow, the idea a bit unfamiliar. Why would he need a plus one? Zayne seems to read this confusion, and rolls his eyes.

“Y’know, a plus one. A date.”

“Who would I bring?” TJ asks, and the absurd answer that first comes to his head is Cyrus. 

Zayne rolls his eyes, like he’s joking. TJ feels confusion muddle his forehead, and he’s too tired to deal with this question that has an apparently obvious answer. 

“You probably shouldn’t make that joke to him, though, I don’t get the vibe that he’d take it well,” Zayne says, before turning on the heel of his sneakers and walking off, his swagger making his shoes squeak against the floor.

TJ sighs into the air, and begins to do end-of-practice housekeeping, his mind mulling over his own confusion. 

Whatever, he figures, there’s important stuff to do, like finding cute movies Cyrus would like and working on his math homework.

(TJ still invites Cyrus to the Banquet, because it seems like the obvious answer. No one is shocked, and no one asks questions. TJ would be suspicious if he weren’t so content with the way that Cyrus screams louder than anyone else when TJ wins MVP.) 

-

It’s a week later, when he’s at the _real_ basketball banquet, that this whole joke becomes a bit of a problem.

It’s this unofficial after party, held in Jonathan’s basement, where they all wear sweats and talk about the season, making jokes and eating all the unhealthy stuff they swore off while they were in training. TJ has dared himself to fit as many Cheetos in his mouth as possible, and he’s halfway there to finishing his goal when Liam yells that they should hold a superlatives vote, one that’s funnier and more personal than the MVP/Most Improved/etc award handed out the week before.

Naturally, TJ is down. After all, this was another thing to win, another way he could feel that rush of having done something. 

It starts off well enough. Jonathan himself wins Worst BO, Zayne wins Worst Basketball Shorts, and Jerome gets Best Memes. Things only decline when someone (probably Harry, because of course he would) yells out that they should vote on best couple.

Unanimously, TJ and Cyrus (or Tyrus, according to a suddenly starry eyed Liam) win the vote.

TJ can only roll his eyes, but because his friends are apparently idiots, they keep talking about it, but they rub it in by talking about it like it’s an actual relationship, not a cruel joke that reeks of “no homo” energy.

“I thought love was dead until Cyrus ran out onto the court to hug you after you won the championship game. That was the cutest shit, man. You two were both so happy, y’know?” says Jerome, and TJ really thought he was better than this.

“Oh my god, the loverboy is shy!” says Harry, a bit too loudly. The whole team proceeds to mistake TJ’s annoyance for bashfulness, and they lean in even harder.

“Is he a good kisser?” Liam asks, and TJ bitterly thinks that he can play at this game, he can be in on this awful joke.

“Yeah, he is,” he says simply, and TJ has an errant wondering in his head, asking if that’s true, followed by a distinct urge to find out for himself.

“Wow,” Liam answers, looking oddly pleased, like he _knew_.

“No homo, though,” TJ says, feeling like he’s gotta cover his tracks.

Everyone laughs, and he laughs along.

He can’t tell if they’re laughing at him or with him.

-

A whole month later, at Addison King’s birthday party, TJ realizes that parties are apparently where all things regarding this Tyrus joke come to a head.

It’s a dangerous hour (9pm), and everyone, including him and Cyrus, are in a sweaty circle, with assorted characters from Jefferson Middle School that they all are acquaintances with. Katie Van Gehrig just spilled some fruit punch on the floor, so there are the remnants of mopped-up stickiness under TJ’s hand as he sits, cross-legged on the floor, next to Cyrus.

“Truth or dare…” Addison says, and her eyes dramatically sweep over the people in the circle, with their stained hoodies and makeup that has begun to wear off.

TJ feels unnecessary fear as her eyes lock with Cyrus’, and then someone else, and finally, with one determined glare in his direction, she makes her choice.

“TJ. Pick your poison.”

Coolcoolcool, he thinks, as his heart begins to thump wildly. No pressure. He sets his face into a chilled, unaffected stance, and weighs the benefits of looking boring but safe or cool and possibly dumb. Truth or dare is some social warfare, and he has to win.

“Dare.”

There’s a dramatic “ooh” around him. He made the right choice. 

Addison doesn’t even take a few seconds to deliberate, she already knows her dare. She has that Debate Team level of preparation for these sorts of things.

“Kiss someone… _other than Cyrus_.”

The circle erupts.

“NO! Let him kiss Cyrus!” yells someone, and TJ doesn’t know why his expected choice is Cyrus, because he would never put Cyrus in that position, to kiss someone he doesn’t like. TJ doesn’t know why that stings, that Cyrus doesn’t have a crush on him. He figures it’s just him being dumb again.

The uproar continues. He zones in and out of it, but eventually everyone in the circle decides that they won’t let TJ kiss them, therefore leaving Cyrus as the only option. It’s 9:26pm, and they’re all coasting on a sugar high, so this makes sense to them. Eventually, Addison decides that yes, TJ can and _should_ kiss Cyrus, so they turn towards each other, a bit cramped into the circle.

Everyone waits with bated breath, and TJ feels oddly frustrated. Not that he has to kiss Cyrus, but that their first(?) kiss is _this_ , some empty dare. Nonetheless, TJ leans forward, and Cyrus does too. Their noses bump a bit, and the noises around them feel like fuzzy radio noise, omnipresent but easy to ignore.

TJ finds out that yes, Cyrus is in fact a good kisser.

He hates this discovery with a burning passion.

-

TJ cannot stop thinking about that kiss, and he feels the tides shifting below his feet but he has no idea how to deal with it. The Eighth Grade Formal is coming up, and with it, Jefferson Middle School’s off brand version of Prom Queens/Kings that always send the grade into a tailspin. Middle school is ending soon, and TJ thinks that he just might like Cyrus in _that way_ , and now he has to find a date, a suit, and a ride to the dance.

Cyrus solves 2/3rds of this problem when they agree to go together, _as friends_ , TJ’s mind cruelly reminds him. The final part is answered when his older brother tells him about a suit that’s buried somewhere in the garage, and TJ goes on the treacherous, dusty trek of finding it.

It’s dark blue, doesn’t fit, and he really wishes his mom was willing to splurge on another rental, but it’s what he has. He decorates it a bit with little basketball pins, and the next thing he knows, the day of the dance happens upon him as Cyrus rings the doorbell, looking sleek and unattainable in his suit.

Cyrus nervously shoves a bouquet of daisies at TJ, and the way he’s blushing makes TJ wonder, if for only a second.

“My mom said it would be chivalrous,” he says, simply and awkwardly enough that TJ blooms into that full-on smile. He takes the bouquet, and runs it to the dining room table before running back to Cyrus (a little bit too fast, but he would be a fool to not use his basketball skills for such practical uses) and hopping in his stepmom’s car.

Cyrus’ stepmom gives them their space to talk, and she plays some classic hits over the radio. The car is utterly jovial: singing along to Doris Day and Buddy Holly, and TJ feels so glad that his mom was so obsessed with TCM, because he feels like he’s a part of something in this car, something comfortable and real and undeniably soft.

That’s what his friendship with Cyrus feels like.

The mood shift that happens when they both step into the gymnasium for the formal is distinctly different, however, and not just because of DJ Healthy Snackz (the principal’s favorite DJ) and his thumping beats. 

TJ feels the uncanny impression that people are watching him, and he can literally see Cyrus’ anxiety skyrocket. TJ grabs Cyrus’ hand. What else can he do? He feels like someone else as he gives a conciliatory, watery smile, and then proceeds to embarrass himself.

He’s not, nor has he ever been a _bad_ dancer. There’s always been a rhythm, a finesse to his movements. It’s just that under the swaying pink lights of the gymnasium, with their peers spinning around and laughing, TJ looks more than a little silly. With his coat that doesn’t fit and his dancing, which is the waving of arms and legs with the occasional spin on his heel, Cyrus begins to laugh.

The feeling that rushes through TJ is somehow more addictive than the rush of landing a ball through the hoop.

Cyrus joins in, trying to copy TJ’s absurd(ly awesome!) moves, and soon they’re both laughing and tripping over themselves, despite the lingering feeling of possible danger beneath them.

DJ Healthy Snackz finishes his song on the benefits of a balanced breakfast when someone from student council rushes to his booth, and hands him an envelope. The DJ then crowds himself closer to the microphone, and TJ’s heart drops as he lets out a hearty “Alrightalrightalright!!! Here’s the moment you crazy kids have been waiting for!”

It’s Prom King and Queen time. But since it’s off brand, because middle school never wants to be too close to high school, they nominated the School Lions, based off of their mascot.

TJ swore never to touch or look at the polls that the school sent out, asking for nomination and the like. DJ Healthy Snackz doesn’t care about this. He just starts calling names.

“For the two little cubs, we have Harriet Jareau and Liam Lice!” he yells, and the two sixth graders come to the front, waving genially while TJ, without thinking much about it, takes Cyrus’ hand. He’s too busy looking at the front to catch the way that Cyrus whips his head to look at TJ and makes some silent decision, as he grips his hand a bit harder and turns back to face the front.

“THEN, I would like to introduce the seventh grade betas of this pack… Jennifer Saenz and Jennifer Holly!” he says into the mic, and Jen Squared, as the couple is so often called, skitter to the front, ignoring the snickers and “beta cuck” jokes that wind their way through the internet-savvy parts of the audience.

“And finally… for our eighth grade kin- Head Of The Pride… I present…” he trails off, drumming up the crowd’s anticipation.

TJ gets a sinking feeling in his stomach, a nasty premonition.

“CYRUS GOODMAN AND TJ KIPPEN!” he yells, as everyone who knows them bursts into applause. TJ wants to throw up a bit. Cyrus grips his hand harder.

They walk to the front, and the DJ plays “Can You Feel THe Love Tonight” as he places Lion King-themed kid necklaces over their heads. 

Cyrus is the one who initiates the slow dance, muttering something that vaguely sounds like “gotta give the people what they want”.

As TJ gets swept into their arms, and they’re swaying to the smooth crooning of animated character under neon lights, TJ has to fight the part of him that wants to shout “no homo”. 

But TJ is not that person anymore, and the way he feels? It’s pretty homo.

“I’m sorry, Underdog,” he says, because just because he has a crush on his best friend doesn’t mean that Cyrus should be made to feel uncomfortable like this. Despite this pretty obvious logic, Cyrus looks confused.

“What?” he asks, eyebrows crinkling adorably and TJ hates that his _feelings_ are getting in the way of this apology.

“They took the joke too far, I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable… I’ll tell them to stop,” TJ says, and Cyrus only looks more confused.

“Joke?”

“Yeah… there’s this joke that we’re dating and I didn’t stop it. I knew you’d be uncomfortable with it, because you don’t like me that way, but it may have been wishful thinking? I don’t know. I- I”m sorry for rambling like this I just didn’t know they’d take it this far an-”

“TJ, I love you but shut up.”

“What?” TJ asks, confused at the way that Cyrus’ eyes have turn solemn and serious.

“What made you think I don’t like you that way?”

It’s a simple question, and there’s so much they need to talk about, but TJ’s heart is beating too fast to worry about anything else.

“Do you… like me?”

“Do you?”

“I asked first,” TJ says, suddenly petty and starving for the answer that he senses is coming up.

“TJ. Stop. I like you.”

TJ’s silent for a second, a smile growing on his face.

“Well you’re in luck, Underdog. I like you too.”

“Sucks that everyone else knew before we did.”

“I’m not complaining,” TJ says, and on impulse he bends down and catches Cyrus in a kiss, quiet and sound and all-consuming. 

In this moment, TJ has to say that there is _very_ little to complain about, he’s so happy. By the way Cyrus is smiling against his lips, he think that Cyrus might feel the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha hope u enjoy bc I wrote this over a series of class work periods,, APUSH be damned. Also comment, like, and subscribe. Catch me on the tumblr @thesubtextmachine


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